We hear from Mason Rugen-Hankey, a third year Genetics undergraduate at Cardiff University, and Visiting Student Researcher at the Crop Science Centre, focussing on the genetics of the beet cyst nematode. Mason has a special interest in improving the links between science and agriculture to improve ecosystem health while maintaining yields. Currently, he is researching plant drought response and its impact on yield at Cardiff University. Mason attended the Agricultural Universities Council (AUC) Summer School held in June 2025.
Recently, I had the fantastic opportunity to attend the AUC Summer School, funded by the Sylvia Waddilove Foundation and the AgriFood Charities Partnership (AFCP).
A week-long whirlwind around the country where we experienced the breadth of British farming. There was time throughout to think, talk, and question everything I thought I knew about the role of science in agriculture.
Pipettes for Pastures
I came straight from a year-long lab placement in Cambridge studying plant pests – it was brilliant, and I’d had the best time. Now, I was eager to see science applied, and I was also curious about my own future. Whilst a career in agriculture sounded interesting, I wasn’t sure if there was space for someone like me – more comfortable in a lab than around machinery.
Initially, I expected GM to be the answer – whatever the question. Identify an issue; identify a new gene – problem solved. I quickly realised this was an oversimplification.
Solutions looking for Problems
We met the most amazing farmers and scientists – people full of clarity and warmth who immediately made us feel welcome. Visits to The Allerton Project, G’s Growers, Rothamsted Research, and Groundswell revealed how complex farming really is. Till vs no-till, GM vs non-GM – things were rarely black and white.
I was especially struck by Belinda Clarke OBE, who spoke about the disconnect between scientists and farmers. She described how research isn’t always directed where it’s needed and so can create ‘solutions looking for problems’. On our coach rides, I began to question if GM was the panacea I thought it was.
Lab meets field
Later in the week, we visited Greenacres Farm, near Shrewsbury, which changed my view entirely.
There, we were introduced to YQ wheat – a variety developed by the John Innes Centre and Wakelyns which used modern breeding techniques to create a naturally diverse and resilient crop. This diversity increases resilience amid changing conditions and the lower-input systems our world must adopt to protect the planet and climate. Over time, the crop adapts to the local environment, be that Welsh rain or East Anglian peat. In this way, each farmer becomes a scientist whose crops change with their land.
Here, the science that I loved wasn’t confined to the lab – it was being applied in the field. Directly contributing to food security without damaging the earth. Doubtless, yields were lower than a conventional system but here science, alongside dietary changes, can mitigate. GM was an answer, but GM was not the answer.
A New Answer to an Old Question
At the beginning of the week, we were asked:
What is the role of science in improving food security in the context of nature and climate crises?”
I had come intending to prove that GM was the answer – we just needed better communication to win public support. But by the end of the week, I had a new answer.
Science has a vital role in food systems, but designing crops in the lab cannot be our only approach. Instead we must embrace diversity in our crops, in our approaches and in our collaborators. If we want a future where farming is resilient, sustainable, and thriving, we need science that’s rooted in reality – we need to get our boots muddy.
I’d like to thank Dr Kayleigh Crouch and Dr Kate Pressland for organising a fantastic trip; Matt Ware for being an incredible tour guide; Daniel for driving a coach down country lanes I’d have been scared to in my car; all of our fantastic hosts and once again our funders: the Sylvia Waddilove Foundation and the AFCP for funding such an eye-opening experience. I wondered if agriculture was for me – now I’m spoilt for choice!
